Simple Breathalyser Test For Malaria Could Help Millions Affected By Disease

A breathalyser test for malaria is being developed by scientists at Washington University (CCSS Level: Grade 11, Words: 283)

Nov 7, 2017 Style & Living

A

A

A

According to the research presented this week at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and reported on by Wired, people with malaria give off a distinctive "breath-print" that could be used as a test for the disease.

The research team found that there are six uniquecompounds found in the breath of malaria victims - the breath test could analyse these compounds and calculate if a suspected victim has the disease, which is caused by a parasite and transmitted by infectedmosquitoes.

In the study, 35 children from Malawi, some with malaria and some without, gave breath samples to test the accuracy of the machine. The breath test was able to accurately identify 29 of the children - a successes rate of 83%.

Once the researchers manage to improve this success rate, the machine could be more widely used as a faster, cheaper, painless and reliable method to test for the disease that causes so much harm in many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia.

"It's clear that if we had fast, easy-to-use, reliable diagnostic devices that both health care providers and families trust, we could reduce unnecessary antibiotic use," said lead researcher Audrey Odom John, at a TED talk in 2015, when she was in the early stages of her work on the device.

According to the Centres for Disease Control, about 212 million cases of malaria were reported worldwide in 2015 and about 429,000 people died, many of them children.

Symptoms of malaria include chills, fever, sweats, vomiting and other flu-like symptoms, with some physicalevidence like jaundice, as well as other unpleasant effects. Death is possible, but malaria is curable if caught in time.